Warp regulator



Feb. 2o, 1945. J K DUDLEY 2,370,022

WARP REGULATOR Filed Dec. 31, 1943 Patented Feb. 20, 1945 iTaEb STATESPATENT OFFICEA 4 Claims.

This invention relates to warp regulating mechanisms, and particularlyto an improved form for use in looms adapted to weave a plurality ofstrips of narrow fabric, such as tape, ribbon, webbing, etc.,simultaneously. The present invention is also applicable to loomsadapted for weaving single wide strips of fabric.

Prior to the present invention the warp threads for each individualstrip in a multiple strip weaving loom have been wound on a separatespool and each time it became necessary to replenish the warp supply forany one strip it has been necessary to discontinue the weaving of theentire series while the operator tied the ends of the warp threads of anew spool onto the retiring ends of the warp threads from the depletedspool.

The warp threads are frequently delivered to the weaving establishmentfrom the spinning mill in rope form, with the ropes baled or wound inballs, with or without woodeil cores, or on cones, tubes, etc., andheretofore it has been necessary to backwind the threads onto theconventional warp spools for use in the loom.

One of the objects of the present invention'is to provide a warpregulating mechanism which will make it possible to utilize the warpthreads in the loom while the Warp is still in the rope form, asreceived from the spinners, thus eliminating the expense involved in theback winding operation.

Another object of the invention is to provide a warp regulatingmechanism by which it will be possible to use the warp rope direct fromthe original packages or from suitable receptacles at the back of theloom in which the ropes may be placed, whereby, while the loom .srunning and before a Warp supply becomes completely exhausted, theoperator may tie the ends of the warp threads of a substantiallydepleted supply to the ends of the warp threads of a fresh supply,thereby avoiding the necessity for shutting down the loom each time anyone warp supply being used in the loom becomes practically used up.

In the accompanying drawing:

Fig. 1 is a sectional plan view of sufficient of a narrow fabrics loomto illustrate the principles of the present invention as appliedthereto; and

Fig. 2 is a sectional elevational taken on the' line 2-2, Fig. 1.

In the drawing, the warp for a single strip of fabric is shown at A, inrope form, as it comes from the spinners.

The warp rope A, as is well known in the industry, consists of aplurality of individual warp threads a, a, which are grouped togetherwith no twist. The individual threads merely cling together and can bereadily separated when desired.

`For the purpose of the present invention the ropeA is drawn from asupply located at the back of the loom, and is led therefrom verticallythrough a pig tail guide l secured to a rigid portion 2 of the frame ofthe'loom.

From the eye of the pig tail guide I, the rope A is led up and over asuitable traction roll 3 which is provided with a shaft or withtrunnions Ml rotatably mounted in bearings 5,5 carried by the uprights2,'2 of the loom frame.

From the traction roll 3, the warp rope A is led down and under afloating roll I 0, then up and over a second traction roll S havingtrunnions.1,1 rotatably mounted in bearings 3,8 secured to the uprights2,2, with the axes of the trunnions 4,4 of the roll 3 and the trunnions1,1, of. the roll 5 in substantially the same horizontal plane, and withthe peripheral faces of the rolls 3 and 6 in laterally spaced relationto each other and affording a rolling contact for the floating roll Ill.

From the second traction roll 6, the warp rope A is led through an eyeor recess II formed in the outer forked and of a long arm I2 of a brakelever I3. The brake lever I3 is provided with trunnions Illv pivotallymounted in bearings l5 secured to the uprights 2,2.

'I'he brake lever I3 is provided with a pair of laterally spaced shortarms I 6, IB, to the outer end of each of which is pivotally attached abrake shoe I1, at I8. The brake shoes I1, I1 bear against the under sideof the iioating roll I0, at oppositesides respectively of the warp ropeA, as clearly shown in Fig. l.

The warp rope A passes downwardly through the eye or recess II in theouter end of the long arm I2 of the brake lever I3 to and through a ringor eye I9 formed on or connected to the upper end of a, Weight stem 20,on which is mounted a plurality of removable and replaceable weights2I,2l.

The rope A is formed in a loop Al depending fanned out into side by siderelation to each other by passing through dents or slots in a fixed backreed 26.

The laterally separated warp threads 2,2 then pass downwardly and aroundthe under side of a lower whip or other roll 23 from which theseindividual threads pass to and through the heddie eyes 24,24 of the loomharness, and thence to the fell of the fabric and the usual take uprolls of the loom (not shown).

Normally, during the Weaving operation, back tension is applied to thewarp threads a, a, by the rope A being snubbed around the floating rollIIl and gripped between the outer surface of this snubbing roll and thetwo traction rolls 6 and 3, which latter are adapted to rotate by andunder the weaving or take up pull of the rope A, which is in frictionalengagement with the rolls 3, I and 6.

Rotation of the snubbing or floating roll I0 is retarded or actuallyprevented by the brake shoes I1, I'I, under pressure applied by theweights 2I and hanger 2li-I9, through the loop Al of-the rope A and theleverage of the long arm I2 of the brake lever I3 to the brake shoes II,I1 bearing against the roll I0.

As the warp threads a, a are used up in the weaving operation and aredrawn off by the fabric take up mechanism of the loom, the loop AZ isshortened until the end I9 of the weight hanger 20 engages the undersideof the outer forked end of the long arm I2 of the brake lever I3,Whereupon, the brake lever I3 is rocked on its pivot I4 and causes thebraking action of the brake shoes I'I, I'I to be relieved from thesnubbing roll III.

The weights 2|, 2| tend to draw out the loop Al thereby effectingrotation of the traction rolls 6 and 3 and the interposed floating rollI0 and effecting a paying out of the warp rope A until the loop Albecomes elongated to a predetermined eX- tent, whereupon, the frictionof the rope A running downwardly over the inner edge 9 of the recess I Iin the outer forked end of the lever arm I2, plus the difference in thelengths of the two lever arms I2 and I6, causes the brake shoes I1, IIto be effectively applied to the floating roll III which causes asnubbing action of the roll I0 on the warp rope A, pinching said rope atthe points 25, 25, between the peripheral faces of the roll I0 and rolls3 and 6.

By the foregoing construction and mode of operation an even uniformtension is applied to the rope A at all times, thus producing a. uniformtexture in the fabric into which the individual warp threads a, a arewoven.

By providing the floating roll IIJ, for pinching the warp rope A againstthe spaced traction rolls 3 and 6, and by pivotally mounting the brakeshoes I'I, I1 on the ends of the lever arms I6, I6, the whole of theregulating mechanism is free to find its own operating position withoutbinding of any parts thereof which may tend to disturb the equal uniformpaying out of the warp threads a, a as required.

A number of ropes A may be used to form the warp of a. Wide strip offabric, in which case each rope would be under separate control of awarp regulating mechanism such as previously described herein. Thethreads making up the varilous ropes can be used in the warp of a widefabric in any way desired, such as one rope for each of a number ofsections of the fabric or the threads of the series of ropes may passthrough successive dents respectively in a back reed similar to the reed26, whereby the fabric would be made up of one thread from each rope insuccession across the width of the fabric, without departing from thespirit of the present invention.

I claim:

l. A warp regulator comprising a pair of laterally spaced rolls freelyrotatable about laterally spaced fixed axes and an interposed floatingroll below said pair of rolls and engageable peripherally therewith andaround and between which a warp is adapted to pass, means for bodilymoving said interposed floating roll upwardly into the space betweensaid pair of rolls to pinch said warp therebetween, and means forretarding rotation of one of said rolls.

2. A warp regulator comprising a pair of laterally spaced rolls freelyrotatable about laterally spaced flxed axes and an interposed floatingroll below said pair of rolls and engageable peripherally therewith andaround and between which a warp is adapted to pass, means for bodilymoving said interposed floating roll upwardly into the space betweensaid pair of rolls to pinch said warp therebetween, and means forretarding rotation of said floating roll.

3. A warp regulator comprising a pair of laterally spaced rolls freelyrotatable about laterally spaced fixed axes and an interposed floatirgroll below said pair of rolls and engageable peripherally therewith andaround and between which a warp is adapted to pass, and means for bodilymoving said interposed roll upwardly into the space between said pair ofrolls to pinch said warp therebetween and for retarding rotation of saidfloating roll comprising a pivoted lever, a pair of brake shoespivotally mounted on said lever and engageable with said floating rollatopposite sides respectively of said lwarp, and means for rocking saidlever to effect engagement of said shoes with said floating roll and thepinching of said warp between said floating roll and said pair of rolls.

4. A warp regulator comprising a pair of laterally spaced freelyrotatable rolls and an interposed floating roll around and between whicha warp is adapted to pass, and means for retarding rotation of saidfloating roll comprising a pair of brake shoes engageable with saidfloating roll at opposite sides respectively of said warp, a brake leverto which said 'shoes are pivotally connected and through an opening inthe outer end of which said warp passes in the form of a loop, andweight means for vdrawing said Warp into said loop through said'leverand for rocking said lever to apply said shoes to said floating roll.

JOHLN KYLE DUDLEY.

